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I hope everyone had a great Fourth Of July Weekend!

- Nicki

Events of the week for July 5 to July 11, 2010

I hope everyone has been having a great Fourth Of July weekend! Its my favorite holiday! But when the weekend ends, that doesn't mean the fun is over. There's still plenty to do this summer!

MONDAY
There will be a Children's Story Hour at Kline Creek Farm, 1N600 County Farm Road in West Chicago, from 10:00 am to 11:00 am. Stories from the 1890's will be read to the children! The event is free, and no registration is required.

Preschool Playtime at Prairie Gymnastics in Batavia. 12:00 pm to 1:15 pm. $5.00 per child.

Do your kids complain about having to do chores on their summer break? Visit Kline Creek Farm, at  1N600 County Farm Road in West Chicago, and try out the types of chores kids in the 1890's had to do around the house and farm! Show up at 1:30, 2:30 or 3:30 pm. The event is free and no registration is required! On Thursdays you can help Dad, and come back on Monday to try helping Mom!

TUESDAY
The AMC Theater at Yorktown Mall will host "Summer Movie Camp" every Tuesday at 10:00 am, for the rest of the summer.

The Cinemark Theaters in Woodridge and North Aurora will host a Summer Movie Clubhouse every Tuesday at 11:00 am, for one dollar per ticket. (A package of ten tickets can be purchased in advance for $5.00.)

Story Time at Pottery Barn Kids in Oakbrook Mall, 11:00 am. Kids who attend five times get a special gift! Kids can also play in the store before and after the story time!

Picture Book Picnic at Lufkin Park, 1000 S. Ardmore in Villa Park, from 11:30 am to 12:15 pm. Families are invited to bring a picnic lunch to eat while enjoying a storytime presented by the Villa Park Library!

From 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm, kids and caregivers can stop into the Elmhurst Historical Museum,  120 E. Park Ave in Elmhurst, to do a magic-themed craft project. This will take place on Tuesdays throughout the summer! To participate, visit the Education Building at the museum. The cost is $2.00 per child.

WEDNESDAY
Classic Cinemas will be hosting Wednesday Morning Movies for kids, each Wednesday at 10:00 am, throughout the summer. The doors will open at 9:00 am on these mornings, and there will be games, character meetings, etc, before the movie starts. Admission is just one dollar! Check the website to see which movie is playing each Wednesday at the Classic Cinema closest to you.

Marcus Theater will host Kids Rule summer movies on Wednesday and Thursday mornings at 10:00 am, for $2.75 per person. The price includes popcorn!

Story time at Bloomingdale Barnes and Noble, 10:00 am.

Preschool Playtime at Prairie Gymnastics in Batavia. 10:15 am to 11:30 am. $5.00 per child.

Excel Gymnastics Jr. Open Gym at Excel Gymnastics in Batavia, 11:00 am to 12:00 pm. $5.00 per child.

Story time at Oakbrook Terrace Barnes and Noble at 11:00 am.

Its time for Wild Wednesdays at Lakeview Nature Center, 17 W 063 Hodges Rd in Oakbrook Terrace! Children will get to participate in a story time, and then meet an animal up close and in person, for free, each Wednesday!  The event takes place several times throughout the day: at 10:15 am, 11:00 am, 11:45 am, and 1:00 pm. While you're there, you can  go fishing, go paddleboating, play on the playground, and more! Lakeview Nature Center also participates in Passport To Adventure.

Or, try out a different Wild Wednesdays program at Cantigny! (1S151 Winfield Road in Wheaton.) Wednesday from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm, you can gather in the backyard of the Visitor's Center for a hands-on, nature exploration program for kids ages three to ten years old. This event is free, and no registration is required, but you still have to pay for parking at Cantigny. ($5.00 per car.)

Excel Gymnastics Jr. Open Gym at Excel Gymnastics in St. Charles, 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm. $5.00 per child

Glendale Heights Fest begins! From 6 pm to 11 pm at Camera Park, 101 E. Fullerton in Glendale Heights. Carnival wristbands for unlimited rides will be available for $20.00. Also, fireworks at dusk!


Outdoor summer concerts will take place every Wednesday night in downtown Clarendon Hills, starting at 7:00 pm. Bring chairs or blankets to sit on! No coolers or glass containers allowed. Food will be sold starting at 6:30.


THURSDAY
Marcus Theater will host Kids Rule summer movies on Wednesday and Thursday mornings at 10:00 am, for $2.75 per person. The price includes popcorn!

Story time at Land Of Nod in Oakbrook Mall, at 11:oo am.

Excel Gymnastics Jr. Open Gym at Excel Gymnastics in St. Charles, 11:00 am to 12:00 pm. $5.00 per child.

York Center Park District,  1609 S. Luther Ave in Lombard, hosts a free Kids Klub every Thursday at noon, throughout the summer. Different events and performances will be taking place each week. Seating is on the ground, so bring a blanket or lawn chairs if you'd like. There will also be concessions for sale.

Don't let your kids' brains go numb over the summer! Help them get a nice history lesson with History Alive! every Thursday at the First Division Museum at Cantigny, 1S151 Winfield Road in Wheaton. Each week, a different war will be presented, and kids will play games and do crafts based on that war. Kids are welcome to dress up like soldiers, as well! This is a free event, and no registration is required.

Do your kids complain about having to do chores on their summer break? Visit Kline Creek Farm, at  1N600 County Farm Road in West Chicago, and try out the types of chores kids in the 1890's had to do around the house and farm! Show up at 1:30, 2:30 or 3:30 pm. The event is free and no registration is required! On Mondays you can help Mom, and come back on Thursdays to help Dad!

West Chicago Railroad Days begins, from 4:30 pm to 10:00 pm. Look for it on the corner of Arbor and National, in West Chicago. Carnival wristbands can be purchased for $22, allowing unlimited rides!

Taste Of Westmont begins, from 6 pm to 10 pm.  The fest can be found in downtown Westmont on Cass Avenue.

Glendale Heights Fest continues from 6 pm to 11 pm at Camera Park, 101 E. Fullerton in Glendale Heights. Carnival wristbands for unlimited rides will be available for $20.00.

Itasca Fest takes place from 6 pm to 10:30 pm, at Washington Park, 350 E. Irving Park Rd in Itasca. It will continue throughout the weekend. Carnival stamps for unlimited rides will be available.

FRIDAY
Itasca Fest takes place from 6 pm to midnight, at Washington Park, 350 E. Irving Park Rd in Itasca. It will continue throughout the weekend. Carnival stamps for unlimited rides will be available.

Excel Gymnastics Jr. Open Gym at Excel Gymnastics in St. Charles, 10:00 am to 11:00 am. $5.00 per child

Open Gym And Moon Jump Friday at Gymnasti in Carol Stream, 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. $5.00 per child.

Preschool Playtime at Prairie Gymnastics in Batavia. 1:15 pm to 2:30 pm. $5.00 per child.

Windmill City Festival takes place at the River Walk in Batavia, with different events occuring all day, throughout the weekend.

Taste Of Westmont continues from 4 pm to 11 pm. The fest can be found in downtown Westmont on Cass Avenue.

Glendale Heights Fest continues from 6 pm to 11 pm at Camera Park, 101 E. Fullerton in Glendale Heights. No wristbands available tonight! :(

Story time at Bloomingdale Barnes and Noble, 7:00 pm.


SATURDAY
Itasca Fest takes place from noon to midnight, at Washington Park, 350 E. Irving Park Rd in Itasca. It will continue throughout the weekend. Carnival stamps for unlimited rides will be available.

Want to be in the Downer's Grove Bike and Buggy Parade? Here's some info from the website: "Kids, decorate your bikes, wagons, strollers and roller blades and meet at 12:45PM on Burlington between Forest and Main. The parade starts at 1:00PM and heads south on Main Street to Fishel Park where there will be refreshments and entertainment. Please bring a non-perishable food item as a donation to the FISH pantry. Sponsored by the Downers Grove/Westmont Newcomers Club."

Story time at the Oak Brook Borders at 2:00 pm.

Windmill City Festival will take place at the Riverwalk in Batavia, with different events taking place all day throughout the weekend.

Taste of Westmont continues from noon to 11 pm. Unlimited ride wristbands can be purchased for $20 and used from noon to 4 pm. The fest can be found in downtown Westmont on Cass Avenue.

Glendale Heights Fest continues from 3 pm to midnight at Camera Park, 101 E. Fullerton in Glendale Heights. Carnival wristbands will be available from 3 pm to 7 pm.

SUNDAY
Windmill City Festival will take place at the Riverwalk in Batavia, with different events taking place all day.

Itasca Fest takes place from noon to 11 pm, at Washington Park, 350 E. Irving Park Rd in Itasca. It will continue throughout the weekend. Carnival stamps for unlimited rides will be available.

Taste of Westmont continues from noon to 9 pm. Unlimited ride wristbands can be purchased for $20 and used from noon to 4 pm. The fest can be found in downtown Westmont on Cass Avenue.

Glendale Heights Fest continues, from 3 pm to 11:00 pm at Camera Park, 101 E. Fullerton in Glendale Heights.  Carnival wristbands will be available for $20.00 from 3 pm to 7 pm. Also, firework show at dusk!




Have A Great Week, everyone!

Place: Legoland Discovery Centre
Location: In the Streets Of Woodfield, 601 N. Martingale Road (Intersection of Higgins Road and Martingale Road near Woodfield Mall) in Schaumburg.Type of Place: Indoor amusement park.
Schaumburg
Secret: Buying your tickets online instead of at the door will save you a ton of money! You can even buy a one year pass (for one person) for only $25.00, which would be a great idea if you have some Legomaniacs in your family who would love to go there regularly! You can also usually find coupons in Chicago Parent Magazine or Family Time Magazine.
Cost: At the door, $19.00 for adults, $15.00 for children. If you buy online, a standard ticket is $15.00 for adults and $12.00 for children.

Legoland isn't actually in Dupage, but since its just a quick drive down I-355, I thought i might include it here. Besides, we got our tickets for free when we attended Woodfield Mall's Kid's Club, and I didn't want to waste the opportunity to give you the inside scoop on this place!
And the inside scoop is... I'm undecided on how I feel about this place.
I mean, the model Chicago built out of Legos was very cool...

 and Little Bear and Pufferfish enjoyed the jungle  made out of Legos.

As you walk through the Lego jungle, you can take a quiz on different types of animals. Little Bear, who is an animal lover and who is always eager to practice her newfound reading skills, liked this part!

After that, the next thing most people do is go on the Dragon Ride. I was expecting it to be like the Dragon Coaster that they have at the carnival, or at least like the smaller version some indoor amusement parks have. But it was more of a slow train ride through a dark tunnel with lots of Lego scenes set up. It was nice for us because Little Bear is afraid of most fast rides, and Pufferfish is too small for most. This ride, we could all go on together. I don't have any pictures of it, because you can't bring cameras on the ride... but I guess its a little like the Small World ride at Disney.
Next we saw the 4-D movie. Its only about twenty minutes long, but its very cute! The difference between 3-D and 4-D is that, with a 4-D movie, you also feel things in real life. For instance, if someone in the movie is spraying a hose, you might get wet in real life! Little Bear and Pufferfish thought this was very cool. I have trouble seeing 3-D because of my astigmatism, but it was funny to see the kids reaching out and trying to grab the 3-D images!
The next room we went into was the largest room, with tons of Legos in it! Little Bear and Pufferfish were first drawn to this corner of "girl Legos" where they could build pink castles.

But there were plenty of other things to do too!

I didn't get any pictures of it because by then the girls wouldn't hold still long enough, but Little Bear's favorite part was a section where you could build Lego cars, and then race them down different ramps. Little Bear spent a lot of time there! So did Pufferfish, although she thought throwing the cars down the ramps was a good way to race them!

We also signed up for a workshop on making tops that look like cheeseburgers. We didn't get to keep it, because if you want to keep it you had to pay $5.00, and I was broke! But it was still pretty cool.

The bottom line is, Legoland is pretty cool, especially if your kids totally love Legos. (Little Bear and Pufferfish aren't that into them at home.) But I wouldn't pay full price at the door to go there! If my tickets hadn't been free, I would have been kind of mad!
If you can get discounted tickets, though, this is an enjoyable place to spend a day!

Win A Free Adult Admission To DuPage Children's Museum!

Hey everyone... Christine from Kids Of DuPage is giving away a free adult pass to DuPage Children's Museum! You have to bring at least one child in order to use it. They do not want adults wandering around the museum unattended, you know! You want to win it? Check out the giveaway!

DuPage's Own "Dog Whisperer"

Today I found out that my dogs are geniuses!
I've been worried about Clover and Lily for a while. Clover is a six-year-old maltipoo, and Lily is one of the eight maltipoo-ratterrier-chihuahua puppies she gave birth to way back last Mother's Day. They are sweet dogs, but not very well-behaved! They run out into the street and chase joggers and bicyclers, bark incessantly at anyone who enters, leaves, walks past, or runs through the house (there are four kids between the ages of 3 and 14 who live here, and two more teenaged relatives living down the street, plus all of their collective friends, so yes... people do run through our house quite a lot!) They both sneakily go to the bathroom in certain parts of the house, they fight like cats and dogs even though they are both dogs, they snatch food, and they chew stuff up around the house.
I wanted to find a way to train Clover and Lily... but in a chaotic house, it was hard to find a way to do it on my own! So I put out the word to dog trainers in DuPage, describing the problems I was having with my dogs... particularly Lily, the puppy, who has a reputation around the house for being the naughty one.
Luckily, Jennifer Tribolet, a dog trainer who lives in Lombard, answered my call!
This afternoon Jennifer came over to meet with the dogs and me, plus Monkeyboy, Little Bear and Pufferfish. We were out in the front lawn waiting for her when she got here, and as she got out of the car Clover charged at her, barking, so she got to see right away an example of what lay ahead of her!
Jennifer lost no time in taking charge. She looped leashes around the dogs and took them for a walk. At first Clover and Lily balked, yanking at their leashes to get away from her, and Clover tried to attack Lily as they walked. (Clover is always suddenly deciding she needs to kill Lily, when I take them for walks, which is why I usually walk them separately.) Jennifer only took them to the end of the street and back, but by the time she returned, both dogs were walking calmly, side by side!
When I was first trying to figure out how to train the dogs, I read lots of books about dog training, but I was never sure how to implement the ideas on my own. It was helpful to see a professional do it in real life! I was amazed at how quickly the dogs learned. It was as if they were eager to show us how smart they were. Like, all that time, they had just been waiting for someone to come along and train them!
My case was probably particularly difficult for Jennifer because of the chaos around the house. In the short time that she was with us, one of the teenagers came over, left, came back again and picked up Monkeyboy; Pufferfish had a tantrum and ran inside; and Jimmy came home from work. But she kept the dogs calm and cool, and taught us how to do the same! In that short amount of time, she also worked with us on getting the dogs to take food or treats only when they hear a signal from us instead of just snatching them, and on getting them to calm down when they were freaking out. She pointed out the reasons why they might be acting up in each situation, and showed us how important it was to make the dogs feel safe by remaining calm and taking charge.
I had been a little worried about meeting with a dog trainer because I thought it would be a little bit like "Super Nanny." I thought she would come, meet the dogs, and then scold me firmly about what a horrible dog owner I had been and how I was doing so many ridiculous things wrong. But Jennifer was nothing like that! She was very positive, explaining mistakes that many people make with dogs. I felt perfectly comfortable talking with her... and thats not an easy thing for me, since I'm easily unnerved by people!
After Jennifer left, I felt inspired to do more work with the dogs. I was determined to get these dogs to be happy, well-behaved members of the household! So after dinner, Little Bear and I took the dogs for another walk around the block. (Jennifer says that, when dogs get plenty of exercise and are worn out, they're in a great state of mind for learning.) Then, I worked a little on training the dogs to stay out of Jimmy and Diana's bedroom, where they have a tendency to poop on the bed. It worked great!
I am going to keep on working with Lily and Clover every day, and take them for at least two walks each day as well! (That will be a lot easier to do now that I don't have to walk them separately!) Once we've tackled walking as a "pack", taking treats nicely, and refraining from pooping in Diana and Jimmy's bed, though, we definitely need to work on not barking at the door, and staying in the yard!
So, if you are looking for a dog trainer, either for a new puppy, an adult dog you've adopted, or a dog you've had for a while but who needs to work on his manners, this is my recommendation! Call Jennifer Tribolet at (630) 383-9736, or email her at jnyftb@yahoo.com. You'll be glad you did! (She also offers grooming, pet massage, and pet sitting!)

Jim's Pet World in Villa Park

Place: Jim's Pet World
Location: . 701 N. Addison, in Villa Park (just south of North Avenue.)
Type of Place: Pet shop
Secret: Jim's Pet World has it's own pets, including a giant Leopard Tortoise and a talking parrot!
Appropriate ages: everyone
Cost: Depends on if you buy something!

Jim's Pet World will always hold a special place in my heart, because that is where I got my cat, Sammy-Joe! I had just turned twenty, and for my birthday Diana brought me to Jim's Pet World to pick out a kitten. I picked out a gray little fuzzball who grew up to be a big, muscular, beautiful, cuddly kitty!
This past week, we were learning about worms, and since I could not seem to find any for the life of me, I thought I'd buy some. When Megan reminded me that they sell live bait at Jim's Pet World, I was excited for the chance to show the kids my favorite pet shop!
Jim's Pet World is different from other pet shops in many ways. For one thing, it is family owned, and has been there since 1972. When you walk in, you get the feeling that you are walking into a small, friendly local pet shop, as opposed to a large chain shop like petland.
Another thing I love about them is that they don't keep their puppies in cages or behind glass (except for a few very young puppies who can't be out yet.) Instead, they keep them in large bins, lined with some sort of disposable bedding. (I don't know what it is, but it smells a little like wood chips or straw.) You're not allowed to pick up the puppies, probably because people would be dropping them or losing them all the time... but you can definitely reach in to play with them and pet them! The bins are high enough so the puppies can't jump out, but low enough that they can stand up on their hind legs to greet you. This way, you can see for yourself that they are clean, frisky, and happy. (Have you ever gone into a pet store where the dogs are behind glass, and some of them just look kind of sick and dirty?) They have room to wrestle and play and walk around in the bins, too, so they're not just sitting there all the time.
I have also heard that Jim's Pet World gets the puppy from local people, many who have dogs who became pregnant accidentally... not from puppy mills! So if you are looking for a puppy, you can rest assured that you are actually helping a puppy who needs a home, instead of supporting puppy mills.

You can see from this picture that the bins are a lot bigger than the cages in most pet shops!

Two puppies cuddling!

Don't you just want to cuddle this little guy?

 

When I got Sammy-Joe, the kittens used to also be in bins, but now they are kept together in a large cage. It looks a little like a big bird cage! The kittens seem to like it because they can literally climb the walls in there!

Jim's Pet World also has some pets of its own, that are always there. One is this leopard tortoise! The kids thought it was so cool!

Another is a parrot! This parrot can talk. saying things like "Hello" and "Cracker!" I think he got mad at me when I took his picture, because he stopped talking to me and started ruffling up his feathers and waddling 

back and forth in his cage.

 

I've been reading some of the online reviews of Jim's Pet World, and they have gotten some bad reviews. It seems that everyone either loves or hates this place! Some people have said that the puppies and kittens they've gotten from there have been sick. (You have to keep in mind, though, that the place has been in business for nearly forty years, and the handful of people who have posted complaints online are probably the minority. Happy customers rarely bother to voice their opinions online... its usually the angry ones who are motivated to speak up!) Others have said that the place smells bad, which I don't agree with. It just smells like the bedding they use for the puppies and other critters. Thats much better than the smell of feces!
Another complaint I saw a lot about them was that the employees are rude. This I can kind of see. When we were there, they basically ignored us, and didn't go out of their way to be friendly. But again, you have to remember, this is a family owned business, not a corporation. These people aren't going to be going to weekly trainings on customer service or having their bosses grill them on how many pets they've sold. They are probably just people who loved animals and turned it into a business. Maybe they love pets more than they love people... and I can't really blame them!
I'd be interested in hearing anyone else's experiences with this pet shop. In the meantime, I still think its my favorite pet store!

Lakeview Nature Center in Oakbrook Terrace

Place: Lakeview Nature Center
Location: . 17 W 063 Hodges Rd in Oakbrook Terrace.
Type of Place: Nature center
Secret: There's a shallow little creek that the kids enjoyed splashing around in. Sometimes we find snail shells there!
Appropriate ages: everyone
Cost: Free!

I found out about Lakeview Nature Center last summer, through the Passport To Adventure program. Its a great little nature center, with tons of ammenities that make it possible to spend an entire long summer day there!
During the summer, Lakeview has a weekly program called Wild Wednesdays. It starts out with a very nice, interactive storytime led by a volunteer at the nature center. Then, staff members give a presentation on a live animal. Kids get to view and touch the animal and learn interesting facts about it. Sometimes it is an animal that actually lives at the nature center, such as a frog or a chipmunk. Other times it is a more exotic animal brought in from somewhere else, such as a toucan! This past Wednesday the kids were introduced to centipedes and millipedes. And as it turns out, millipedes are not as creepy as I would have thought! (Centipedes, with their long feathery legs, still freak me out, though!)
Wild Wednesdays take place in rainy or sunny weather. This week it was rainy in the morning, so the event was inside the nature center. That was nice, because they have a great playroom, and the kids all played for a long time after the presentation! There are also many small animals, fish, insects and reptiles, on display in the nature center for kids to look at.
But on sunny days, there are even more festivities, such as lemonade and popcorn being sold, free fishing, and $3.00 paddle boat rides!
Last week, in order to get our passport stamps, we had to go on a hike/scavenger hunt. Since it was sunny by then, we hiked over to the creek, where the kids enjoyed wading around. I am not actually sure you are supposed to do this, but I couldn't see why not... there weren't any "No Swimming" signs posted, and the water only went up about halfway to the kids' knees anyways! I'm a pretty strong believer in giving kids the freedom to enjoy nature, the way I got hill to do when I was little. It seems like, often, these days people are like, "We want you kids to appreciate nature, so look at it... but do not touch it! Don't climb the tree, don't walk on the fallen branch, don't pick up the frog, don't stand on the rock, don't roll down the hill, and DON'T PUT YOUR FEET IN THE WATER!" To me, I want them to be able to do all that. And if you watch the slide show at the bottom of this post, you'll see how genuinely happy the kids ar e to be outside in nature... even though we could hear the sounds of the highway in the background!
Anyway. Lakeview also has a nature-themed playground! After getting our passports stamped and collecting our prizes for doing the hike  (which Little Bear, Rafael and Pufferfish all immediately lost) we headed to the playground They love the playground there, especially the rotating net. Its like a regular merry-go-round, but it is surrounded by a rope net that kids can climb on as they spin! What a thrill!
I had a lot of pictures this time, so I decided to put them into a slide show so you can see how much we enjoyed Lakeview Nature Center.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com